Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor
Informed patients make better patients.
Question:
My medication is causing side effects. Any suggestions?
I am a 71-year-old white female. I was taking Verapamil. When my pulse got too fast, I wore an event monitor and was hospitalized for an ablation. They were not able to complete it when my heart started beating too fast. I am now taking Sotalol. My heart and blood pressure are normal, but I am tired. I understand this is a side effect of this medication. Any suggestions? (I do not drink or smoke. I am still working a full-time job.) Thank you.
submitted by Virginia from Mt. Vernon, Indiana on 11/15/09
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Gerardo Kalife, MD
Virginia, There are several options.
1) Wait a while and see if you adapt to your new regimen;
2) Try Amiodarone;
3) Try Dronaderone;
4) Try pulmonary vein ablation at a different center in the hands of a very experienced operator; or
5) Last resort would be pacemaker placement followed by AV nodal ablation.
I realize that each option requires a degree of somewhat sophisticated explanation but I am trying to convey the message that, indeed, there are more options ahead.
See also on this site:
Has your question or a similar one already been answered?
Search all the Heart Doctor questions and answers.
| Heart Information Center services are made possible in part by a generous gift from the Hamill Foundation. |
Updated November 2009
